Brave
by cheysiu
Summary: GeCe fic inspired by the movie Brave. Princess Cecelia Jones does not want to wed, despite her parents' orders. After a visit to witch Rocky Blue she decides she once again has control of her future. That is until obnoxious suitor Gunther Hessenheffer eats the cake prepared by the witch, which results in a faulty spell. Disclaimer: I do not own Shake It Up.
1. Chapter 1

No was a word that Cecelia Jones, much like all other children, learned at an early age. It was a word that she used liberally as a toddler, frequently as a child, rarely as a pre-teen, and then as a teenager, surprisingly enough, not at all.

The eldest daughter of King JJ and Queen Georgia learned to obey her parents and soon, she was submissive, docile, and in their eyes, the perfect daughter and heir. Georgia was content that her daughter would rule fairly when it was her turn and would listen to her subjects, rather than be a willful and stubborn queen. JJ believed that his daughter would respect her advisors, men wiser than she, and would listen to them without hesitation, doing what was right for the entire kingdom.

Refusal was not in Princess Cecelia's nature, and when she was twenty-one, JJ and Georgia set out to complete their final task for their daughter – finding her the perfect mate. He would be quiet like their daughter – quick to learn and willing to please. The perfect mate would complement their daughter in every way and they would know that when they passed, their precious daughter would be not only in good hands, but happy in life and the kingdom would be peaceful and pleased.

"No."

Both of her parents raised their heads to her, their eyes wide in surprise. Her mother's face was quickly drawn into confusion, while her father's in disappointment. The looks pained her, but Cecelia forced her hands to not tremble at her side and met their gaze straight on.

"Um, no thank you," she repeated, more softly this time. "I appreciate the fact that you're willing to help me with such a task, but I don't want to be married."

"Don't want to be married?" Her mother was the first to speak, and her voice was gentle. "Cecelia, darling girl, you are our heir. You must marry to carry on the line."

"This is true," Cecelia said. "But it doesn't have to be right now. I have just become an adult a month ago, Mother. I wish to live my life before I am married with responsibilities."

"We raised you better than this," Georgia frowned and glanced over at her father, who was still silent. That was never a good sign. "You cannot shirk your responsibilities like a commoner, Cecelia Jones. You are the Crown Princess and your behavior must reflect that accordingly."

"I know," Cecelia said patiently, because she honestly did know how she must behave. "I can be responsible; I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I would prefer to travel first before having children."

"You can travel with your spouse," her father finally spoke, his voice void of any emotion. "Your mother and I saw plenty of countries together when we were first married. That is a poor excuse."

"Think of the kingdom, if nothing else," Georgia cajoled. "You've always been so dedicated to the country. Part of that is showing a united front. A kingdom needs a King and Queen. You need to provide heirs, Cecelia."

"Think of an heir, it will make the whole process a lot easier if you focus on the positive things," JJ said.

Cecelia swallowed the sigh that threatened to slip out. All her life, she had said yes to her parents, no matter what they asked of her. She had a happy childhood and didn't want it to be believed otherwise, but even she was aware that she often denied herself in order to please her parents. It was something she had believed would end once she was an adult but it seemed like that was not the case. Now she was to marry somebody of their choosing and for something as serious as marriage, Cecelia refused to bend.

"I don't want to be married, it's very simple," she explained. "And even more, I don't want an arranged marriage! When the right time comes, I want to marry somebody I'm in love with. Is that too much to ask for? You married Mother for love."

"Well…" Georgia said and then paused, heat blooming on her cheeks. "I mean, your father and I married because we knew that we were meant to be."

"What your mother means is that we knew we would work well together. I knew your mother for less than a month before we were married and we had two conversations alone before our wedding day."

Cecelia could feel her jaw drop open in shock but she couldn't help herself. She had never known this about her parents; she had always believed that they had married for love. Her mother had told them stories of their father wooing her against the odds. It was disconcerting to hear the truth after all these years and it only cemented Cecelia's decision even more.

"The many arguments you had when I was a child make more sense now," she said coolly, unable to meet her mother's gaze so instead she focused on her father. "I used to feel terrible as a child that the pair of you fought so often, I thought it was because something I had done and I believed you were happier before you had us children."

"Cecelia, sweetheart, it wasn't like that," her mother said quickly, reaching out to lay her palm against her cheek. "Your father and I had to learn how to work together. And we did – successfully so. We had two beautiful children and a prosperous kingdom. Your father and I have done quite well for ourselves, despite our shaky beginnings."

"And you too will find the same success we did," JJ said with a broadening smile. "Now, I was thinking we could invite several different countries and perhaps have a tournament or hunt while they're here. Something where you are able to see what they have to offer."

"Don't forget a ball," Georgia interjected quickly. "Everyone knows of Cecelia's love for dance, and whoever she chooses will be impressed if we throw a grand ball. Perhaps even a masquerade!"

"Yes! The masquerade can be on the opening night, give Cecelia a chance to speak to her options with privacy," JJ dropped a wink in her direction.

Cecelia felt like she was going to be sick. Her parents had clearly listened to nothing that she had said and intended to marry her off anyway! It didn't matter which prince was paraded in front of her. Cecelia hardly felt like she had control of her own life. She was finally at the age where she could legally be responsible for herself. She wasn't about to disrupt any of that, not right now.

"Oh my gosh, I don't care who you bring and what sort of parties or tournaments you have," she said, her voice shaking slightly. She straightened her spine to steel her nerves before continuing. "I will not marry anyone that you present so you might as well save yourselves the money and the time! I will not wed!"

"You will do exactly what we say, just like you have done all your life," JJ said, his tone hardening into one that Cecelia felt very familiar with. "You will not argue and you will not be childish. You will smile, you will make conversation, and at the end of the week, you will pick someone to be your spouse."

"JJ –" Georgia started but fell silent at the look her husband threw her.

"Are we clear, Cecelia?" JJ pressed.

"Um," Cecelia said helplessly.

"Cecelia."

"Crystal," She said softly, the word catching in her throat. 


	2. Chapter 2

The month passed far quicker than Cecelia would have liked. It didn't surprise her, though, for time always forged ahead when the future was daunting. The masquerade was tonight, after the sun had fully set in the sky and carriages had been arriving all day. Cecelia had avoided her windows and had not left her rooms, not even to dine. She had no desire to run into any of their visitors.

Her outfit for the masquerade tonight was laid out on a chair, her mother had ordered the gown for her and her valet had prepared it for her. Cecelia had ignored all efforts her mother had made to get her excited for the upcoming days and now that it was finally here, she still ignored every aspect of it.

Soon, she would have no choice, though. In an hour, she would be dressed and descending into their grand ballroom where she would forgo making an entrance. JJ had promised her that once she was mingling with their guests, she would find herself curious to get to know them all and by the end of the week, she would choose one.

Cecelia believed otherwise but had learned to keep her doubts to herself. Her parents didn't listen to her anyway.

Instead, she opened a book in

her room where she had folded and stored a map. She had marked it with ink, a star for every country she wished to visit and a dot for every place she had been. The stars outnumbered the dots a hundred to one. Cecelia had seen very little of the world but now that she was finally an adult in the eyes of the law and had her own income to a certain degree, she was able to travel.

Of course, she would have to leave under the cover of night and leave a note for her parents to find. They would be furious at her actions and try to bring her back home but she would at least view some of the world before that happened. And if they decided they were angry enough to disinherit her, then she really would see every inch of the world that she could for home would have nothing for her anymore.

She would see everything she could and she would see it alone. Cecelia had always valued privacy and time alone. It was difficult enough growing up in the nursery, surrounded by her noisy brother and nannies. She had finally asked politely enough for her own rooms and had been granted them. She was sure the fact that she was Crown Princess had something to do with it but she hadn't argued. She valued her private time and she couldn't imagine a world in where she always had somebody by her side.

For better or for worse, and it would surely always be worse.

Such thoughts remained in her mind as the hour slowly passed. She watched the grains of sand trickle through the hour glass, falling and falling until it was empty and her valet was knocking on the door. It was time to get ready and put on her mask. It was time to pretend to be somebody she was not. The whole idea made her feel incredibly ill.

"I feel like a fool," Cecelia muttered as she stood in the hallway behind the tapestry. She was dressed in a blood red gown that plunged lower than she had ever worn before. Her throat dripped with royal jewels and she wore one of her tiaras on her head. Despite the glittering mask that covered her eyes, it was most obvious to almost all that she was a Jones princess and she was seeking a spouse.

"You look fine," her younger brother, Flynn, said. He fiddled with the lace cuffs on his shirt once more, the Spanish lace was itchy against his skin and he looked as though he was already impatient to tear it off. Not that anyone could blame him.

"You look... um, available," she said, unsure of how to be tactful to the fact that her brother was bordering adulthood. "Hoping to find a princess?"

"It's insulting that they're pushing for you to be married before me," Flynn said icily. "You may be the eldest child, but I would make a great king. They should be focused on finding me a rich princess to marry."

"I agree," Cecelia said sullenly, adjusting the mask on her face. It was already bothering her and she was tempted to pull it off. However, she would rather be uncomfortable than have everyone staring at her or worse - approaching her. "Trust me, this is no great grand design of my own. I would be perfectly happy to not marry for years."

"You're crazy," Flynn muttered, "Wish me luck."

"Make good choices," Cecelia said weakly as he pushed the curtain to the side and strutted out to the dance floor. She slipped out behind the curtain in his trail, letting everyone stare at him and she did her best to melt into the background.

A new dance began and she saw several different women approach Flynn before he finally chose one. She swept into a low curtsy in front and allowed him to put his arms around her and lead her in the dance. She shook her head as she watched the scene in front of her. She really wished her parents would get Flynn married already so he could be a respectable prince. This sort of behavior was very borderline, even though it was a masquerade.

"You should have a drink in your hand," an accented voice suddenly said beside her and Cecelia turned to see a taller figure, the man's blonde hair slicked back and spiked up and a black mask decorated his face, obscuring his features from Cecelia's view. He had a drink in each hand and he offered one to her with a small smile. "It's champagne, I promise it's safe."

"Um, thanks, I could kind of use a drink right now," She admitted, reaching out to take the goblet by the stem and she took a small sip. She wasn't a big drinker, but given how pressured she was feeling tonight, she thought it would be okay to indulge a little. She had to restrain herself though, the last thing she needed was to drink so much that she woke up married or something.

"Yeah, kind of a big night," the stranger remarked, slouching against the wall and he crossed one ankle over the other, wearing black boots that came up to his knees and looked extremely expensive. "We're all supposed to be wooing this princess but she hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh, yeah that," Cecelia said, her heart sinking. "I suppose - "

"Personally, I could care less," the man continued speaking and Cecelia snapped her mouth shut so hard her teeth clicked. If the man hadn't detected yet that Cecelia was the princess, then she saw no reason to clue him in. "I think the whole idea of winning somebody's favor for marriage of all things is a bit ridiculous. Marriage is hard work."

"I agree with you," Cecelia said vehemently, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. "My parents forced me to come tonight and look for my own prince, I had no desire to. I can't imagine being married to somebody that I hardly know!"

"I came for the free alcohol," the man admitted with a grin. "And to accompany my twin sister to her first ball. She's on the floor somewhere with what she called her Prince Charming. I'm Gunther, by the way. I didn't catch your name."

"Oh," Cecelia said, her mouth drying. She couldn't give her name because Gunther would immediately know she was the Crown Princess that he was supposed to be courting. "I'm... CeCe," she said in a fit of desperation. CeCe had been a childhood nickname from her nanny and it wasn't something that was common knowledge to people outside of the palace.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you, CeCe," Gunther said with a little smile on his face and he tipped her glass forward until he could clink it with Cecelia's. "I have to admit. I came over here because I thought you were cute."

"I'm wearing a mask!" Cecelia protested. She could feel her cheeks turning as red as her hair and knew that her embarrassment was visible on her face where her mask didn't cover. She glanced down at the floor and twisted the stem of her glass between her fingers. "You're just saying that. You're probably drunk."

"Most definitely not drunk because otherwise I would be trying to kiss you," Gunther said, dead-panned before he gave a loud shout of laughter that caused several heads to turn their way. He ignored them completely, something Cecelia didn't understand. She could never handle it when attention was directed her way.

She was a terrible Crown Princess, no wonder her parents were so eager to get her married off and produce heirs.

"Oh my gosh," Cecelia laughed and shook her head. "You've clearly had too much to drink if you're saying things like that."

"I'm serious," Gunther argued before he shrugged his shoulders. "If you won't make out with me, do you want to at least dance?"

"Oh, I'm a terrible dancer," Cecelia said quickly, knowing it was a lie. She had grown up her entire life taking dance lessons and she could perform any step required of her and she absolutely loved it. But dancing with Gunther now would be giving into her parents' wishes.

"Oh please, you're nobility," Gunther brushed away her excuses and instead grabbed Cecelia by the wrist and began to lead her towards the dance floor.

Cecelia, whose body was sacred and not to be touched without permission, simply followed him. She was too stunned to argue anything and before she knew it, Gunther had his arm around Cecelia's waist and was prompting her into the first step. Thankfully, her feet worked quicker than her mind and she began to move.

"See, you're a fine dancer," Gunther said before he spun Cecelia out and then pulled her back in, closer than she had originally been. Closer than what was proper and she felt herself blushing again.

"You've clearly had some practice."

"A little," Cecelia muttered as she let herself slide a hand up around Gunther's bicep. She could feel the muscle even under the layer of clothing. "My parents wanted to ensure that I had an idea of what I was doing."

"Hopefully your education isn't too expansive," Gunther said and it took her a minute to realize that he was actually being a little inappropriate with her. She willed herself not to blush for a third time but it was useless. "You get embarrassed really easily, don't you?" Gunther remarked, ducking his head down closer to whisper in her ear.

"Only around you, it would seem," Cecelia said even though that wasn't the truth at all. She just thought maybe she should reciprocate some of the flirting because it was nice to know that somebody was interested in who she was, and not her title.

"Then it appears like I am doing something right," Gunther said without a trace of laughter in his voice and something in Cecelia's stomach flipped.

After the dance, Gunther cocked an eyebrow above his mask and his mouth quirked into a smile. "Should I force you into another dance or would you like to get another drink?"

"Oh, um, drink please," Cecelia said quickly. "It's bad enough that I'm expected to dance with a variety of people. Let me have peace while I can!"

Gunther laughed and caught her by the wrist once more, leading her away from the crowd of moving bodies and straight to a balcony that overlooked the large gardens at the castle. A servant appeared in the doorway with a tray and Gunther took two drinks from it and passed one to Cecelia, the servant fading away.

"So, tell me a little bit about yourself," Gunther said as he leaned against the stone and took a sip of his drink, the rim on his glass bumping against his mask. "What are you hoping to get out of this trip to the Jones kingdom?"

"Oh, um, I don't know," Cecelia stuttered. There was only so much she was willing to deflect before she would come clean about who she was. She didn't want to though. She was having such an easy time talking to Gunther and if the man knew she was the princess, it would change their friendship. "I just want to survive, I guess."

"Wow, that sounds incredibly depressing for somebody as good looking as you."

"I'm wearing a mask!" Cecelia protested for the second time. "You need to stop complimenting me because you haven't even seen me. I could be a hideous troll for all you know!"

"I would suggest you take off that mask to prove me right but then we probably would end up kissing," Gunther said with a good natured grin and Cecelia couldn't help but giggle a little.

She had never met somebody as... relaxed as Gunther. Everyone she met, whether they be older than her or her age, were so stiff and full of rules and formality. Gunther didn't appear to care about any of that and for the first time since this all began, Cecelia was a little glad that Gunther had come all this way.

"I've never been kissed before," she admitted and then immediately felt horrified that she had shared such a private (and embarrassing) fact about herself. "I mean, I haven't really had any opportunity for it."

"That doesn't surprise me. You're a noble and I'm sure your parents are trying to keep you on their leash for as long as they can. However, you'll have to break free of them eventually. Trust me," Gunther said with a smirk. "It's extremely liberating. I mean, I don't advise you to go around sleeping with anyone because there is a certain emotional draw when it comes to sex but - "

"Oh my gosh," Cecelia hissed, turning completely red underneath her mask. "What the heck, Gunther? We barely know each other!"

"I like what I know so far," Gunther said as if it was the most obvious and natural thing in the world. "Your parents really did a number on you, didn't they? You're incredibly uptight, probably more so than the actual Princess who is trying to find a spouse."

"Oh, gosh, well," Cecelia spluttered and then stared miserably down at her feet.

"No way," Gunther breathed out, taking a step closer. "Are you telling me that I'm in the actual presence of Princess Cecelia?"

"Don't say that, please," Cecelia said quickly, her stomach churning. It was all ruined now. Gunther would now have expectations of her and they wouldn't be able to talk as freely as they had been. Even if it had been completely embarrassing, it was still refreshing to be spoken to a like normal young woman.

"Shit, that's cool," Gunther said before he took another drink. "However, that totally enforces my point about you being on a leash. You're going to get married soon, apparently. You need to live a little before you're forced to settle down."

"My parents would never let me live a little," Cecelia said, looking out over the gardens. "It's fine though. I don't want to speak ill of them."

"No, I get it. Parents can be rough," Gunther said, nudging her shoulder gently and the fact that he still didn't respect her body despite knowing she was the princess was startling. Who was this guy? "My own parents urge me to marry but I just can't be bothered."

"Free alcohol was the big draw, wasn't it?" Cecelia said with a little laugh.

"Absolutely," Gunther grinned down at her and Cecelia suddenly wanted to know what he looked like without his mask on. And maybe his shirt too. Oh gosh. "But hey, your company isn't bad either. I honestly had no idea who you were."

"Trust me, I know you didn't. Unless you thrive on being socially inappropriate!"

"Well..." Gunther trailed off before letting out another one of his booming, hearty laughs. "No, I'm kind of horrified at myself for being so forward with you but you haven't called the cavalry yet."

"You're kind of funny. And charming," she added before blushing for what seemed like the tenth time. "Oh my gosh! I shouldn't have said that!"

"And you're absolutely hilarious," Gunther said, reaching out to brush Cecelia's hair off of her forehead.

She suddenly realized just how close their bodies were to each other and how Gunther was staring at her with vivid light eyes. If she leaned up, just a little, she could probably kiss him and see if his smile tasted as good as it looked.

"I'm sorry," Cecelia whispered before she took a couple steps back and broke their gaze. "I should probably go back inside and circulate the room a little."

"Yeah, sure," Gunther said, clearing his throat. "Although, tell me if I'm completely off base here, but did you feel a connection? Or is just me?"

"I'm sorry, I've got to go," She said before she turned and hurried back inside of the room that was brimming with people she had no desire to speak to. But she had even less desire to face the emotions swirling inside of her chest and so she went.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Cecelia rose with dread thick in her belly. She would be able to have a private breakfast in her rooms but after that it was the first event of the tournament and Cecelia would be paraded out in front of a handful of potential suitors. She had spoken and danced with several men last night, but she hadn't enjoyed anybody's company the way she had enjoyed Gunther's.

If luck was on her side, Gunther would be out there amongst the suitors and Cecelia would be able to pick out which one he was without any problem. She hadn't changed her mind about getting married, but she could at least placate her parents with a love interest, even if it didn't necessarily work out. And it most likely wouldn't - sure they had talked most of the night Gunther had raised feelings inside of her that she had never felt before but he was still a stranger.

And they hadn't exactly parted on promising terms but Cecelia was going to rectify that. She needed to talk to Gunther again and explain to him her fear of the future. She felt like she could trust him. She didn't know what it was, but deep in her gut she felt like Gunther would be an ally and today she wasn't going to run scared.

With those thoughts bolstering her confidence, Cecelia followed her parents out to the pavilion. She felt very naked without her mask, this time everybody would be able to see exactly who she was. There was no hiding anymore.

"Your Highness, may I present Sir Jason."

Cecelia looked up and was momentarily startled, believing she was seeing a woman but no, this man simply had very long hair that appeared to not have been washed in months. She forced herself to remain impassive though, and nodded her head in his direction.

"Pleased to meet you," she said stiffly, relieved once Jason walked away.

"He was handsome." Georgia murmured to her left and when Cecelia swiveled to look at her, the encouraging look on her face nearly broke her heart. Why couldn't her mother listen to her?

"Absolutely not," she ground out, turning back away to meet the next suitor.

He was tall with long legs, dark skin and brown eyes that sparkled at her. He was absolutely beautiful and yet Cecelia still felt nothing besides reluctance.

"Your Highness, may I present Prince Ty."

"Pleasure," Cecelia said before she looked away.

The line of suitors seemed like a million miles long and she wanted nothing more than to grab her horse and ride away from all of this. Faces were continued to be presented to her but none of them stood out. If she had been asked, she wouldn't have even been able to remember any names. While it seemed to last all morning, it was finally only mid-day when the last of the suitors stepped up.

"Your Highness, may I present Lord Hessenheffer."

Cecelia glanced up to see who held such a bizarre title and immediately wished she hadn't. The male figure in front of them wore a smug smirk, his blonde hair windblown and his deep blue eyes brimmed with cockiness.

Cecelia disliked him immediately.

"Lord… Hessenheffer, it's nice – "

"Call me G," the man interrupted her and Cecelia's jaw wasn't the only one who dropped open in shock. The man – G – continued speaking, "I hate the my name sometimes. Just seems so stuffy, you know? My friends call me G, so you might as well."

He was so informal and so… inappropriate that Cecelia felt laughter bubbling up inside of her and she had to swallow hard to tamp it down. G was obnoxious and horrible and would never amount to anything but the look on her father's face was worth this entire ordeal.

"Well, G, it's been great to meet you," Cecelia said sincerely for the first time today, the hint of laughter evident in her voice. "It's been a real honor, believe me."

G dropped a wink at her and Cecelia could feel her mother tense up beside her.

"Cecelia," her mother hissed beside her while her father remained motionless. "This is the one that you are finally showing interest in?"

"No!" She exclaimed because while it was funny to watch her father, she didn't want to give any impression that she was open to anyone.

"G" was finally led away and Cecelia let her heart sink in her chest. As far as she had been able to tell, Gunther hadn't appeared. She saw no one that even resembled the handsome stranger from the masquerade. She hadn't dreamed Gunther up, because in her fantasies she never danced with strangers, but it seemed that Gunther wasn't actually a noble and therefore, wouldn't be vying for Cecelia's affections. It was most likely that he was someone's valet and hadn't been able to resist the urge to sneak into a royal event.

"Well, besides that," her father sneered. "Has there been anyone else that caught your interest, Cecelia?"

"Oh, um, no," she said and looked away so she didn't have to witness the look of anger that was sure to grace her father's face. "I tried – but, no."

"I would hardly say you tried," JJ grumbled but fell silent after that, much to her relief.

"Thank you, you may go," Cecelia said awkwardly because she never really knew how to dismiss the suitors.

G's face fell before it tightened and he noted shortly. "As you wish, Your Highness," he said in a tone that was very different from the previous one he used.

Cecelia felt like she had suddenly been spun around, dizzy with the abrupt change of emotions. She hadn't meant to offend Lord Hessenheffer, because while he had been amusing in regards to her father, Cecelia didn't want to get his hopes at all. She watched the young man stalk away and felt a gnawing sensation in her gut.

She hated knowing that people were upset with her.

The jousting tournament was the main event and top two suitors that proved their worthiness would have the chance to dine with Cecelia on a more intimate level. As an avid and skilled rider, Cecelia itched to get out there and show them exactly how it was done. She had been raised on jousting and was renowned for it, which was probably why her father had set that for the tournament.

"Remember, the one who ranks the highest will have the chance to an intimate dinner with Princess Cecelia!" Her father boomed into the mega-horn.

Cecelia wanted to die. Cecelia wanted to - wait. Cecelia had been jousting since she was a small child. She was known wide and far for her jousting abilities. If there was anyone who would rank the highest, it would be her. She would have dinner with herself!

For the first time in awhile, Cecelia felt something loosen in her chest and she was able to breathe a lot easier. She suddenly recognized that lightness she felt - it was hope. For the first time in awhile, Cecelia felt like she had control of her future, she had a say in her destiny.

"Riders, line up!"

At the command, Cecelia lunged to her feet and ignored both of her parents, instead she hurried down the elevated platform and crossed the field to be the last rider to fall into formation. Around her, suitors began to bow and the servants milled around nervously.

"Cecelia," her father called loudly and when she turned to look at him, she immediately wished he hadn't. She recognized that look on her father's face and it promised nothing good. "The riders will joust for your hand. You will remain up here and judge."

"I will be riding," she called back loudly and then turned away because she could not stand the sight of her father's face growing purple. "Fetch me my horse."

"Cecelia!"

"I will be riding for my own hand!" Cecelia shouted, whirling around on her heel to face her parents. "You said the highest ranking rider would win a dinner with me. You never said I couldn't ride. Now fetch me my horse!"

It was an uncomfortable few moments where Cecelia could feel her father staring at her but eventually her horse was brought out and she swung into the saddle, galloping down the field to where the scorers were. She swung her horse around and looked up at them, squinting against the sun's bright rays.

"Add me to the board," she said firmly. "That's a direct order."

"Yes, Your Highness." one murmured and hastened to obey the command, adding Cecelia so she would be riding with the rest.

Cecelia smiled.

The tournament lasted most of the day, and true to her word, Cecelia knocked her competition out one by one until there was one sole survivor standing against her. It was "G", the truly obnoxious that had been so disrespectful to her. Beating him, reminding him that Cecelia was the absolute best when it came to jousting, would be satisfying.

When her lance connected solidly to his chest, knocking him from his horse so hard that he actually did a somersault before landing in the hay, Cecelia let out a whoop and thundered up from the field, reining in hard in front of the pavilion.

"Cecelia," her mother said helplessly, glancing between her and her father. "You have proven your strength. Perhaps it's time to let others prove theirs."

"They had their chance," Cecelia said flatly, loudly, so everybody would be able to hear her. "I mean no disrespect to anyone who competed but the highest ranking rider wins the dinner invitation and therefore, I shall be dining alone!"

"You know, that's pretty disrespectful of you," a sharp voice came from her left and Cecelia whipped her head around to see Hessenheffer nudging his horse forward from the line. "Many of us travelled far for this opportunity and you're being a child."

"My life is not an opportunity," Cecelia hissed, feeling her hackles rise. "This is my future we are speaking about. My future! I should have a say in it. I don't want to get married."

"Then you shouldn't have had a tournament and forced people to travel," he argued. "You wasted our time and our money."

"Nobody made you come," Cecelia said and she hated how her voice shook. "Nobody made you come compete for the hand of a princess that doesn't even want to wed."

"You're dishonest," he scoffed. "You should have told us you had no interest in marriage. I'm sure many of us would have chosen differently than to be here."

"You are free to leave at any time," She shouted, turning in her saddle to look at every single rider, even though they all avoided her gaze. "You are all free to leave whenever you please! In fact, do so! I'd be glad to see the back of all of you!"

"Cecelia, that is enough." It was her mother, and not her father, which caused her to listen. She had come up beside her horse when she wasn't looking and wore the pinched frown she carried when she was truly angry. She raised her voice to be heard, although the field was silent as everyone listened in. "Lord Hessenheffer, as the second highest rider, you will dine with Princess Cecelia tonight. She will expect you at seven."

Cecelia swore silently to herself and clenched the reins in her hands. Despite the risk of embarrassing herself and despite riding better than she had possibly ever had before in the past, it was all for naught. She would still be expected to dine with a suitor that had shown themselves to be worthy of her simply by having a good ride.

"I will see you at seven," she said stiffly before she jerked the reins roughly and kicked her heels into her horse's side, galloping off of the field and disappearing into the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

The cabin appeared out of nowhere, she rounded the bend in the trail and suddenly there was a cabin set off to the left with a sign hanging in front that read Rocky Blue - Witch and Part-time Mime. Love potions and spells house specialty. See inside for details. Cecelia pulled her horse to a stop and read the sign, cocking one brow the more she read.

Witches were not common in the kingdom, after the great purge of 2058 they had learned to travel in disguise and seek refuge in other lands. Her parents hated any sort of sorcery or witchcraft and had made it their cause to stamp the evil out of the lands.

Cecelia climbed down from her horse and knocked firmly on the front door.

"It's open!" A sweet voice called from inside and so Cecelia swung the door open and stepped inside. It was a dimly lit room although there was a roaring fire in a corner, causing Cecelia's dress to immediately stick to her back. A woman - a witch? - stood at a table and she looked up. Her curly brown hair flowed past her shoulders and if she didn't know any better, she'd say they were the same age, but witches live notoriously long lives. She could be over a hundred for all she knew. Bright red paint was on her lips and she frowned at her as their eyes met.

"Princess Cecelia!"

"Oh, gosh, hi," she said because she hadn't expected for her to recognize her. It had been a naive thought, everyone seemed to know who she was these days. "Are you Rocky?"

"Depends on why you're asking," she said, her eyes darting to the door behind her. "What brings you here?"

Belatedly, she realized that Rocky assumed she had come with ill intentions and probably had a dozen soldiers outside. "I was riding my horse and suddenly came across your cabin," she hurried to say. "I'm curious, that's all. I need your help, I think."

Rocky's eyebrows raised as she fumbled the clay jar she was holding. "You need my help?" She clarified as the jar hit the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

"Um, I think so?" Cecelia said hesitantly. "Look, can I be honest? My parents want me to wed and I don't want to. I need to do something - anything - to get them to change their minds. Isn't there a spell you know that could do that for me?"

"Hmm..." Rocky said, brushing some pieces of clay under the table with her foot. "I could perhaps give you an enchanted cake that you could feed to your parents. Once they have consumed it, they will become obsessed with a different matter and leave you alone."

"Could you really do that?" Cecelia would never understand why witches were so feared if they were always this helpful! If she could truly feed her parents a delicious cake and have no effects minus them leaving her alone... when she was Queen, she would make sure that witches were always welcome!

"Oh absolutely," Rocky said breezily as she grabbed a mixing bowl and set it down on the table, beginning to pour different ingredients inside. A sprinkle of sugar, a dash of honey and other liquid concoctions that didn't look familiar to Cecelia. She poured the mixture into a small tin, waved her wand and with a bright flash and poof, there was a small, enchanted cake sitting on the table. It was a pale cream, with light green and pink frosting piped in swirls on the edges.

The witch slid it inside a small box and closed it up, setting it down on the table. Cecelia reached for it but Rocky brandished a knife before her hand could even touch the box. She immediately pulled her hand back and for the first time, realized perhaps her parents weren't quite so wrong about witches.

"What are you doing?" She asks and her voice shook only a little.

"There's the small matter of payment, of course," Rocky said, smiling sweetly at her. "Nothing comes for free, you know."

"I'm afraid I don't have any money on me," Cecelia said. "However, I could go to the castle and return with some coin. What do I owe you?"

"You could give me that ring," she said, nodding her chin towards her right hand where she wore her father's ring. It was a beautiful sapphire that her father had gifted to her when she had become legal and officially the Crown Princess. It was priceless within the kingdom and Cecelia couldn't imagine her father's anger should she be parted from it.

"Oh, um, I don't know about that," she said. "It's my father's ring."

"You can give me the ring or you can get married. The choice is very easy," Rocky said and she let out a cackling laugh.

Cecelia hesitated before she pulled the ring from her finger and set it down on the table. Rocky immediately snatched it up and shoved the box at her, pushing her towards the door.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the witch said, her hand firm against Cecelia's shoulder as she stumbled along. "Goodbye! Thank you!"

The door was unceremoniously slammed shut and Cecelia looked down at the box that held the answer to her destiny. When she looked back up, the cabin was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Cecelia knew she was in trouble the moment she stepped foot inside of the castle because it was her father there to greet her. However, there were nobles and servants alike milling about, so JJ simply grasped her upper arm and led her along the corridor silently. They entered the royal chambers where there was more privacy and immediately JJ wheeled around to backhand Cecelia across the face.

The pain was sharp and stinging but she had learned long ago to hide pain from her father, for it often seemed like it only fueled her rage even more. Instead, she stared thinned lipped at the floor and remained quiet.

"Where the hell where you?" Her father hissed. "And what do you have in that godforsaken box?"

"A cake that I bought," Cecelia said, holding the box closer to herself lest JJ toss it to the floor. "It's for - " She was interrupted as Georgia exited out of the dining room with a tense look on her face. She held up a hand to stop her from speaking further.

"My turn," she said quietly, politely and that was when Cecelia knew they were actually not alone. "Lord Hessenheffer is waiting for you in the dining room, Cecelia. You have kept him waiting so to make up for your disrespect, you will offer that cake to him."

"Oh, um, I really don't think I should," Cecelia said quickly because him eating the cake would do absolutely nothing for her future. She could care less if he left her alone or not.

"Inside the room," Georgia instructed firmly, ushering Cecelia inside. "Lord Hessenheffer, you have our utmost apologies," she said with a wide smile that Cecelia knew wasn't genuine. "Princess Cecelia has arrived though and is most certainly hungry. We will leave you two alone to get better acquainted."

"We don't normally advocate dessert before the meal, but since this is a special occasion, I fail to see the harm," JJ said with a broad grin and he plucked the box from Cecelia and presented it to the guest, who took it with curiosity. "Enjoy."

"I think we have some self control," Cecelia said and waited until her parents had left before she pulled the box back from him and set it down on the table. "Dinner will be in shortly."

"I don't mind waiting," G said, leaning back in his seat.

They sat in awkward silence until G began to hum a tune and was surprisingly good. Even though Cecelia didn't like him and found him incredibly obnoxious, she had to admit that he had a nice voice.

However, he wasn't Gunther and that's who Cecelia really wanted to be dining with tonight. If she had to go through this farce, at least Gunther had been kind and had made her laugh.

"That's really nice," she said to break the ice, startling a smile out of G. "What song is that?"

"Thank you," He said, and he sounded nicer than he had out on the jousting field. "It's actually mine. I like to write music."

"So do I!" Cecelia exclaimed. It was rare to find someone that was passionate about music the way she was, majority of people simply tolerated it. But G wrote music and how cool was that?

"See, I'm not so bad after all," He said, his lips slanted in a small smile. "I'm not going to pressure you for marriage, I hope you know that. Arranged marriages are bogus."

"Then why come at all?" Cecelia asked, feeling completely confused.

"I'm a lord, do you really think my parents are satisfied with that? It's all politics, baby," G said, lingering on the last syllable as he took a swig of wine. "They want me to marry up of course and what's better than a Crown Princess?"

"I'm nothing special," Cecelia said quietly and fell silent as the doors swung open and servants carried trays of roasted meat and steaming baked potatoes in. There were steamed vegetables in a cheese sauce and bread so fresh that it was still hot to the touch. The servants left as quickly as they came and Cecelia nodded his head towards G.

"You're a lot more special than you think," He said as he speared some meat and dragged it on to his plate.

"You don't even know me," Cecelia said hotly, feeling her defenses immediately rise. "That's the thing that none of you understand. None of you even know me."

"Yeah, but you don't know us either," He pointed out. "I'm sure there are some people here just to use you but there are some who genuinely like you. Perhaps you shouldn't be so judgmental."

"It's easier to say that when it isn't your future being bargained with," Cecelia said thickly, familiar pricking in her eyes and she hated how emotional she got discussing this. She shouldn't be married for this reason alone - she was still such a child.

"I'm sure you have it rough, I'm not faulting you for that. But the rest of us have our own issues as well. Don't think you're the only one with a tough family life."

Even though he was essentially telling her to stop being so pitiful, Cecelia was still surprised to find that she was actually... enjoying her dinner with him. It wasn't ideal in any shape or form, but Lord Hessenheffer was nice to talk to and he was a lot less obnoxious than he had been at their first meeting.

"You're right," she conceded.

"Although, you would think for something as important as marriage, your parents would let you choose somebody that you had a connection with, rather than the best jouster. What does that prove? So they're good at jousting, big deal. How does that equal a compatible life partner?"

"You're exactly right!" Cecelia said, ignoring the comment regarding jousting because it was a big deal but that wasn't the focus right now. "Somebody winning the most points doesn't mean they're fit to rule or to even be somebody's spouse."

"So there's nobody you were even compatible with? Didn't you try talking to anyone at the big fancy to do?" G asked as he leaned forward to grab a slice of bread.

"Well - " Cecelia broke off as she pondered if it was rude or not to mention the one connection she had. "I mean, this probably sounds bad since I'm supposed to be having dinner with you but - "

"No, let's hear it. I mean, I'm not expecting anything out of this evening. I'm ready for a good story, though."

"I met a lot of beautiful people yesterday, including Prince Ty, which I know is kind of a favorite? But the only person that I really enjoyed talking to was this guy at the masquerade. I don't even know who he is in real life... he just told me his name was Gunther. He wasn't at the tournament though so I think he was just somebody's valet. And my parents would never let me marry a valet."

G choked on his wine and spluttered ungracefully, a chunk of potato flying out of his mouth to bounce across the table before hitting the floor. "Sorry," he rasped. "I mean, that sucks that he never showed back up though."

"I'm sure nothing would have happened," Cecelia said. "He was far too cool. He had a good laugh when he found it was me but he didn't want anything to happen."

"Oh, I wouldn't so sure about that," G said, a little cryptically in Cecelia's opinion and she was about to call him on it but then G was suddenly opening the box and spearing out a bite of cake, taking a bite before Cecelia could even stop him. "Wow, this is delicious," G said, taking three more bites in rapid succession with icing smeared on his upper lip.

Cecelia swallowed the sigh that wanted to slip out. She had lost her father's ring for absolutely nothing. G was going to proclaim that Cecelia shouldn't have to marry and nobody would listen to him. Her parents would continue to control her future.

"Enjoy the cake," she said flatly, staring dejectedly at her plate.

"It's really good, you should try some," He said before his voice suddenly cracked and morphed into a deeper range. "What the - "

The silence matched Cecelia's dark mood but she heard a low rumbling and then almost a sort of... snuffling sound. Completely confused, she raised her head to come eye to eye with a large brown grizzly bear.

"Oh my gosh!" Cecelia shouted and tumbled out of her chair in her haste to get away.

The bear roared and waved a paw, lumbering forward and it was only then that Cecelia realized the bear was wearing a chain around his neck. It was an exact replica of the necklace that Lord Hessenheffer wore and Cecelia felt her stomach sink.

"Oh no," she said. She held out her hands in a submissive gesture and prayed that her parents wouldn't come barging through the door. If there was anything her father hated as much as witches, it was bears. He hunted them viciously until they were almost desolate in the kingdom. JJ's hatred came from a childhood fear where he had watched his mother be attacked by a bear and he had been too helpless to prevent the attack.

The bear pulled itself to a stop and growled low in its throat but didn't come any closer. Cecelia took a step back slowly and then another one until her back was pressed against the door. She had no idea how to handle such a thing. It was obvious to her that the spell had backfired grossly. She should have known better than to trust Rocky, she had seemed wonky from the start.

"What am I going to do with you?" She breathed out quietly, her heart racing in her chest.

The bear - Lord Hessenheffer - cocked his head and blinked at Cecelia before turning back to the table and shoved his nose into the rest of the cake, devouring it promptly. Cecelia took a step forward to stop him before she paused. She didn't know how much worse the spell could get, the damage already seemed to be done, and somehow the idea of pulling a bear away from food just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Okay," She said resolutely. "We need to get to the forest and find Rocky and ask her how the heck this happened! Can you hear me, G? You have to come with me because I can't leave you alone here. If my father sees you he will be very, very upset."

G snorted at her and pawed at the table, emitting another growl. The only thing that remained was vegetables and of course a bear didn't want vegetables, he likely wanted roast beef but human G had already consumed the majority of it!

"Okay... you're hungry? You must be hungry," Cecelia said weakly. "Let's go get some food, yes? Let's go to the river, there are plenty of fish there for you. But we have to go quietly. Do you understand me at all? Quietly."

G huffed softly before falling silent and Cecelia figured that was as good as it was going to get. She reached behind herself, fumbling for the handle and twisted it quietly, turning so she was able to poke her head out of the door. The hallway was completely empty but she could hear laughter down the hallway and knew the rest of her family was probably dining.

Thankfully, that might work in her favor. Her younger brother was incredibly loud when the family was all together, vying for attention, and perhaps his noise would cover any sounds that G would make. Still, the idea of sneaking a bear past her brother was an uncomfortable one. Hopefully human G was still around somewhere in that mind.

"Okay, if you understand what I am saying, nod once," Cecelia said, turning back around to look at G.

He huffed out a breath and nodded his head once.

"Cecelia?"

"Um, hello," Cecelia said, slipping out and closing the door firmly behind herself so JJ wouldn't see the predicament inside. "What's going on?"

"How's your supper going with Lord Hessenheffer?"

"Oh, fine," Cecelia said breezily, giving JJ what she hoped was a convincing smile. "What brings you down here? I was just going to ask a servant for more wine."

"I'll notify them, you get back inside and enjoy your meal with him. I really hope that you give him a chance, Cecelia. His parents are incredibly wealthy. I don't want to worry you but..." JJ paused before he sighed heavily. "Cecelia, you are my heir and you have a right to the truth. The kingdom is in a bit of financial trouble, which why there has been so much pressure for you getting married."

It all clicked into place and she felt a deep anger surge inside her chest that her parents would sacrifice her happiness, her life, for money. However, she had more important things to attend to right now so he simply smiled weakly at JJ.

"I figured it might be something like that," she said.

"I'm glad you're being understanding about it, that shows real maturity, Cecelia. And I'm sorry that I hit you before. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me," JJ said and he did look genuinely sorry for the incident but Cecelia had heard these apologies before. "So, be kind to Gunther Hessenheffer. The dowry from Lord and Lady Hessenheffer would save this kingdom."

Cecelia was shocked at what she had just heard.

Gunther Hessenheffer.

Gunther, Gunther, Gunther.


	6. Chapter 6

Cecelia felt like her chest was tight and like she couldn't breathe. Was it a coincidence? Was G actually Gunther?

Her mind went racing back as she tried to picture Gunther from the night of the masquerade and match him up to the man that had been dining with her tonight. Sure there had been some similarities but G had been so obnoxious! Gunther had been charming and enticing. How could the two men possibly be the same person?

"Cecelia?"

"Of course," she said, shaking her head to dislodge the thoughts that were racing around inside. "Thanks for the information. If you'll excuse me, I should get back to my date."

"Of course." JJ gave her a wink before turning and disappearing down the hallway.

Cecelia opened the door and motioned to G - Gunther? - to follow her. "We have to hurry," she whispered, knowing that they had a small window of opportunity to slip from the royal chambers. Any moment a servant would be appearing with the wine they had ordered.

G - he was going to continue calling him G since he didn't know for sure - snuffed out breath but lumbered towards Cecelia willingly and while it was terrifying to have a bear approach you, the thought of JJ killing a lord was even more so. That was the last thing the kingdom needed.

They left the safety of the dining room and moved slowly down the hallway, Cecelia leading them towards the back because there was a back staircase that servants sometimes used if they were in a hurry. It led not only to the kitchens but directly outside where they could escape to the forest. She could only pray that the staircase would remain empty because while G seemed... comfortable? Indifferent? towards her right now, she didn't know how the bear would react should a threat arise.

In the end, they were so close to making it out. It was almost unfair how close they were to getting away unnoticed. They were just about to exit the castle when two kitchen maids suddenly rounded the corner and G reared up, emitting a surprised snarl. The maids promptly dropped the dishes they were carrying and screamed as loud as they could. Cecelia had to risk body and limb to shove G out the door and then they were running for the edge of the trees as fast as they could.

"Oh my gosh," She panted once they had reached the forest and had been enveloped by trees. "That was close. That was too close!"

G simply huffed out a breath and began to wander down towards the babbling brook and so of course Cecelia had no choice to follow him. This was really the last thing she needed. She didn't ask for G to just rudely eat the cake without permission and have this unfold. She didn't ask for G to complicate her life even more.

And, most importantly, she didn't ask G to lie to her.

If G actually was Gunther, then why wouldn't he have said anything to Cecelia during their dinner together? There had been plenty of opportunities. Had Gunther gotten to know her a bit better and decide she wasn't good enough? She thought she had come across okay during the dinner. She had gotten a little heated but they hadn't shouted at each other or fought. If anything, they had both seen the other's side and both of them agreed that jousting for marriage was a stupid idea.

"You can understand me, right?" she called out and the bear stopped by the river edge, turning to look at her. The bear didn't do anything but those eyes were so intelligent that Cecelia just knew she was coming across crystal clear. "You lied to me."

The bear growled low in its throat and turned back around, swishing a paw through the water.

"You lied to me," Cecelia shouted, feeling her anger bubble up within her chest. "You're Gunther from the masquerade! You knew it was me and yet you still never said anything! I even said that I had hoped you would come!"

The bear roared and swiped a paw in Cecelia's direction, probably in warning, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"This is my life! You are wrecking my life," she said, stepping even closer. "You are making everything so much worse and nobody asked you to do that! And rather than just come clean, you continued to lie! You're such - "

The words disappeared as the wind was knocked out of her. She was down on the hard packed dirt without warning, the bear - Gunther - pressing a heavy paw against her chest, his claws pricking drops of blood at her throat.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped, panting for breath. To a degree, she had known that she couldn't trust the bear, but in her anger, she had kind of forgotten just how wild of an animal Gunther had become. "Kill me if you want. I don't care."

The bear snorted, spraying Cecelia's face with snot juices - oh how gross - before he released his paw and let her sit up. Gunther let out a low, mournful noise and pushed his nose against Cecelia's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, is this you apologizing?" she said, wiping her face with the hem of her dress. "It's not going to work, you know. You just snorted all over me and that's disgusting."

Gunther snuffed again and pushed his face harder against Cecelia's shoulder, toppling her over into the dirt and he let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Despite her eyebrows still being damp and the whole fact that Gunther lied to her, she couldn't help but find the bear endearing.

"Okay, we'll put that discussion on hold, how's that?" She rolled away so she was able to push herself to her feet and stand upright. "We'll table that until we're able to find this wonky witch and get this whole mess figured out. Her cabin was down the trail, it's just a little bit this way..."

She started to walk away but stopped after a few paces when she realized that Gunther wasn't following her. Instead, the bear had waded into the river and was still attempting to catch the salmon that were avoiding his clumsy paws with ease.

"Oh my goodness," Cecelia grumbled before she raised her voice. "Hello? Gunther? Unless you want to ruin my life even more, follow me please!"

Gunther ignored her completely.

"Such disrespect," She muttered as she wandered back closer to the river. On the bank, set a little back was a raspberry bush and Cecelia hurried over to begin collecting as many as she could carry. Holding the bottom of her dress up for a makeshift bowl, she filled it as full as she could before she carefully walked over to him. "Gunther? I have some delicious berries," she coaxed.

He turned his head and inhaled sharply, she could see the nostril's flare before Gunther snuffed again and lumbered out of the water and directly towards Cecelia. She poured a handful on to the ground and then began to walk backwards, laying a trail for Gunther to follow.

They proceeded down the trail, going more slowly when they were passing by the castle because already Cecelia could see the glow of torches and knew that her father had been notified there had been a bear in the castle. Her father would already be out for blood and Cecelia wanted to get Gunther as far away as she could until she figured out what to do.

They moved past the castle seamlessly but when they rounded the bend in the trail to reveal no cabin, Cecelia felt like throwing up. She had to be here, she just had to be! She didn't know how to solve magic on her own. This was her first time witnessing it! She dumped the rest of the raspberries on the ground to distract Gunther from her panic. She wandered in a circle, peering into the trees to see if she had perhaps missed it but this was most definitely the spot and the cabin was most definitely not there.

In the distance, she heard shouting.

"Rocky!" She bellowed, not caring if she startled Gunther, not caring if her father heard her. The witch had to be found as soon as possible. "Rocky Blue!"

"There is no need for shouting!" The reprimand came from the edges of the tree as Rocky meandered out, wearing a gold shawl that sparkled in the light of the dying sun. "I'm simply right here."

"You messed up," Cecelia said, stalking closer to her. "That enchanted cake didn't do anything besides turn Lord Hessenheffer into a bear!"

"Oh dear," Rocky said, pursing her lips as she looked over at Gunther. "I thought the cake was for your parents."

"It was, but Lord Hessenheffer won the jousting tournament so we had to have a private dinner together and he ate it without permission. I need to turn him back immediately. My father is going to kill him."

"Oh, well, you'll have seen in my spells policy that if someone other than the intended interferes, I'm not liable for any mistakes!"

"I didn't see any policy," Cecelia said suspiciously. "And who the heck cares about all of that! My father is going to kill him! You have to help!"

"What does it matter?" Rocky suddenly said with a calculated look in her eye that Cecelia didn't like at all. "You chose Lord Hessenheffer. Your father kills him. Your parents will feel terrible and you won't be pressured to marry for awhile."

Gunther huffed in warning as Cecelia's jaw dropped open in shock.

"But then Gunther would be dead," she said. "He's the first person to ever make me really laugh. I don't want him dead. No, we need fix this immediately."

"If you let everything unfold naturally, your problems will still go away," Rocky said. "Your wish will be granted, Cecelia. You won't have to get married, at least not for years."

And the sad thing was, it was a tempting thought. To have her parents filled with remorse and to back off completely, to know that she could live her life freely without the responsibility of an arranged marriage... Cecelia was only human, of course whe was tempted. But one turn to look at Gunther who, despite being a bear, was completely helpless, she knew she couldn't do it.

It was her fault that Gunther had been turned into a bear and it was her responsibility to fix the situation and keep him safe.

"Tell me how I can break the spell," she said instead.

"The way all spells are broken," Rocky said, tightening her shawl around her shoulders. "By true love, of course. You wanted your parents to leave you alone regarding marriage. The spell would have accomplished that. I think. The spell would have been broken when you had fallen in love with somebody."

Cecelia scrubbed at her eyes in frustration and sighed. Of course it was going to be difficult. Of course there was no easy way to fix the problem she had created. She could hear the murmur of a crowd growing louder and she knew they were moving in. Her father probably had his dogs tracking the smell of the bear. They would be upon them in no time at all and somehow, before that happened, Cecelia had to change Gunther back into a human.

"I can't kiss a bear," she finally said. "And it wouldn't be true love, anyway. I'm not in love with Gunther, I barely know him. For all purposes, he is a stranger."

"I can't help you then," Rocky said and Cecelia was really, really not surprised by that. She had been incredibly unhelpful this entire time. When Cecelia was Queen, she would ensure that all witches stayed far away. Or at least properly educated themselves in witchcraft.

"Cecelia!"

Her father rushed into the clearing, followed by a mob with burning torches and it looked like time was up then. She looked to Rocky for help but she had disappeared and her heart sunk even more. She was truly alone in this.

Gunther snarled at the sudden intrusion and padded a wide berth around the mob, moving closer to Cecelia.

"Cecelia, get away from that bear!" JJ shouted, brandishing a spear and he aimed it directly at Gunther. "Get back from my daughter!"

"Dad, no, you have to listen to me," Cecelia said quickly, hurrying to put herself between the spear and Gunther, who had grown still but growls rumbled deep in his throat. "This is Lord Hessenheffer, he's under an enchanted spell. I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but believe me, it's the truth."

"Cecelia, you drank too much wine," JJ said, thrusting the spear forward. "Now step away, that is an order."

"No, I can't," Cecelia said, backing up until she felt herself hit the solid, warm mass of Gunther and she stayed pressed close against him, hoping that he would choose this time to remain civil.

"Cecelia Jones! That is a direct order from your king!"

"I can't!"

"Move in," her father barked and without warning, two guards in full armor jumped forward and pulled her away from the bear. They dragged her closer to the mob, their hold on her as tight as a vice.

"Dad, no! I beg of you, please," Cecelia gasped, struggling to get away from the guards. "Release me, I'm Princess Cecelia," she pleaded, a sure sign of her desperation to use her title as leverage. "Dad, please, that's Lord Hessenheffer, don't do this. That's Gunther, please don't. Please, please, please."

"We have gone seventeen years without bears being seen in these lands!" JJ shouted, beginning to circle around Gunther whose hackles had completely raised and he was snarling so hard that his mouth foamed.

The mob began to cheer, chanting, "Kill it! Kill it!" over and over until it was ricocheting inside of Cecelia's mind until her head pounded sorely as she continued to struggle.

"And after tonight, I will make sure we go seventeen more!" JJ shouted, lifting the spear towards the heavens and he shook it with a hearty battle cry. Gunther let out a growl and backed up nervously, his eyes darting between the trees and Cecelia and she knew, she just knew that she couldn't stand by and let Gunther die.

It all happened in seconds. She twisted as fiercely as she could, breaking free of her captors and she took off before they could catch her again. JJ pulled his arm back and released the spear. It was a blur but Cecelia didn't stop moving, she lunged in front of Gunther at the last second and the world went blinding white with pain as the spear pierced the meat of her shoulder and pinned her to a tree.


	7. Chapter 7

She woke to the sounds of screaming and a low, possessive growl in her ear. The smell of burning wood and wet fur was acrid in her nostrils. She blinked her eyes open, the world spinning on its head before she blacked out again.

When she woke for a second time, the noise of the mob had quieted but she heard soft sobbing that she immediately recognized as her mother. The low rumble was still there and she could sense something solid and firm right beside her. Her shoulder ached fiercely and as she stirred, she heard her father call out, "Don't move!"

Cecelia had stopped moving because um, hello, pain.

She heard a snuffle and then a wet nose was pressed against her palm. She slid her hand up the furry snout to smooth back around the head, rubbing an ear gently. "You're okay," she whispered, her chest already feeling lighter. "You're okay, Gunther. Thank God."

"Help is here, Cecelia," her father said, more gently than she could ever remember hearing JJ speak. "However, the bear won't let us near you."

"Let them help me," she breathed out, her voice shaking from the pain and the edges of her world began to blur again. "I saved you, Gunther. Let them save me."

There was another rumble before the darkness overtook her and the pain blissfully faded away.

Cecelia woke in her own room. Her shoulder was throbbing but when she opened her eyes, the world remained still and she was able to sit up a bit. A thick white bandage was wrapped around her arm and chest and she could smell a strong salve of herbs. She turned her head to see her mother sitting beside her bed, smiling at her.

"Welcome back," she said, rising from her chair to adjust her blankets around her lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore and confused," she admitted before she suddenly remembered the reason why she was in so much pain. "Oh my gosh! Gunther! Is he okay?"

"He's right here," her mother said, nodding her chin in the other direction and Cecelia turned to see Gunther sleeping in a chair beside the bed. His head was tipped back in the seat and a trail of drool escaped from his mouth as he snored. He looked absolutely ridiculous and Cecelia had never been more glad to see him.

"Gunther!"

Her shout woke the man who jumped and his eyes flew open. "CeCe, hey, you're awake," Gunther said, stretching his arms above his head until the joints popped. "How you feeling?"

"Glad you're okay," She said, even though her shoulder really did kind of hurt. "What happened? How did you reverse the spell? Did it just wear off?"

"It would be hell of a coincidence if it did," Gunther said grimly. "You reversed the spell, actually."

"Me?" Cecelia squeaked, her brows shooting upwards. "What? How is that possible? The witch - Rocky - she said true love had to break the spell."

Gunther began to look distinctly uncomfortable and Cecelia spotted the back of his neck flushing red. "Well, that's how you broke it, didn't you?"

"I'm not in love with you, though," Cecelia said before she realized just how rude that was and clapped her good hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry!"

"You didn't have to be in love with me," Gunther said, his eyes softening. "You just had to show true love. You saved my life at risk to your own. You provided the greatest act of love and that was enough to reverse the spell."

"Oh gosh," Cecelia said weakly before she felt quite proud of herself. "Well... well done, us! It's all worked out!"

"And..." her mother said warningly and Gunther's blush deepened.

"And I kind of bonded with you when I was the bear," he mumbled.

She paused, digesting the information. Gunther had bonded with her? She wasn't aware that bears bonded with ...not necessarily people, but things they would consider a mate. Although, Gunther had been a magical bear so perhaps the rules had been different for him?

"What does that mean?" She finally said, glancing between her mother who was beaming and Gunther who was blushing furiously.

"It means we have a chance," he finally said, meeting her gaze. "I'm not proposing and I'm not saying we have to do anything right now but... we've survived an incredibly rare encounter and it makes for a hell of a story for the grandchildren, am I right?"

He startled laughter out of Cecelia who could only stare at Gunther. If she had to get married, or at least be more open to the idea, why shouldn't she try with Gunther? You couldn't go through magical spells with someone without coming out stronger for it at the end.

"You know," she said, steadfastly ignoring the fact that her mother was in the room because gosh, how embarrassing. "I feel kind of ripped off."

"Ripped off?" Gunther's wonderful, handsome, unharmed, face wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean? How could you possibly feel - "

"I mean, in the fairytales, true love usually means there's a kiss," Cecelia said quickly, tripping over the words in her haste to get them out lest she chicken out. "You've been talking for two days now about all this kissing and I've yet - "

She fell silent as Gunther lunged forward and gently cupped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. The rest of the room receded away until there was nothing left but the smell and taste and feel of Gunther. Reaching up, Cecelia grasped his shirt as close as he could, not wanting him to move a bit.

Maybe magic wasn't so bad, after all.


End file.
